Stake to the Heart
by catstiel
Summary: Emerald, an old friend of Josef's, comes to him for comfort after finding out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. She finds a friend, but Josef is finding a little more than that. Crappy summary, read please! JosefOC
1. Chapter 1

"Emmy, c'mon!" Wade pleads weakly as the short girl glares daggers at him. His eyes fill with tears, "Please listen to me."

Emerald lets her anger fume as she turns to look at Wade, "You shoulda thought of that first. Think twice before you go cheatin' on someone again." He's speechless; this wasn't the way it was suppose to happen.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could choke out as she left.

Emerald stomps angrily back to her car while the rain pours hard on her head and shoulders. She plays the scene over and over in her head. How could he? She mechanically opens the car door and slams it shut; shoving the keys in the ignition. She couldn't believe she gave him another chance to break her heart. He could have at least cheated on her with someone remotely good looking, and not that Mary Sue whore. She lets her head fall onto the steering wheel, and the tears she'd been holding back begin to fall down her cheeks. Minutes pass as she pulls herself together, and wipes her tears away furiously. She needs to talk to someone, but she doesn't know who would be awake at this hour. She yanks the phone out of her pocket and scrolls through her contacts. Her heart sinks when she passes Wade's number, but she stares at it for a second then deletes it.

"Out of sight, out of mind." She tells herself as she searches her contacts. She finds a couple people who could be awake, but only a few people would listen to her spill her heart out. She hits the call button and holds her breath.

"Hello?" The familiar, cocky, voice speaks on the other end.

"Hey Josef." She chokes out, "Are you busy?" There's a silence on the other end and some shuffling sounds.

"No," He his voice portrays his worry, "Why? Are you ok?"

She doesn't know what to say, she wants to tell him now, but that would only lead to more unneeded tears.

"I just need someone to talk to." She says, trying to sound casual. The sigh she hears on the other end tells her that Josef knows she's lying.

"I'm still at my office, so why don't you come here and than we can drive to my house? Sound ok?" His voice was soft and it lets her know he genuinely cares for her.

"Yeah that sounds great. Thanks..." Her voice cracks at the end of the sentence; revealing how upset she actually is.

"Emerald, what happened?" It's not a question, it's a demand.

"He cheated on me." She answers coldly.

An inhuman growl comes from the phone, "Where are you?"

"Outside his apartment." Emerald answers, and pleads, "But Josef, don't do anything stupid. Please, for me."

"Hurry up and get here than." Josef grumbles, "Please."

Emerald hangs up the phone and presses her foot on the gas. After rolling the windows down she cranks up her radio. Immediately I Pray for You comes on and she finds herself humming the tune along with the singer. She can't believe it's over between her and Wade, again. This time she wouldn't let him woo her back to him. This was how it was going to stay; she _will _move on and never come back. She's not sure why she had picked Josef's number over the others, but right now she wasn't sure of anything.

Josef sits behind his desk and taps his fingers impatiently. After his 400 years of living he has never had a friend like Emerald. She's human, which wasn't anything new to him, but she doesn't care what he is. Where as his freshies were just aroused by the thought of him being a vamp. It's not like he wasn't attracted to her, but she's just different. A low growl grows in his chest when he thought about Wade did to her, no women deserves to be treated that way. Whether Emerald knows or not he is going to give Wade a beating.

A faint knock on the door pulls Josef away from his thoughts and his eyes peels from his papers to the door.

"Come in." He says pushing his papers to the other side of his oak desk as he spins his chair so his back is towards the door. Emerald enters the office and the pitter-patter of her feet fills the room.

"Hey." She says blankly and approaches his desk. Even with his back turned Josef can smell the tears on her face.

"Take a seat." He offers as he spins around to face here. She does as instructed and sits down. "I'm going to ask you a few questions," He says casually spinning a pen on his finger, "and I want you to answer truthfully." Emerald looks at Josef confused, she chose to come here for a friend not a psychiatrist, but his expression tells her to wait and see.

"Okay." She says unsure of herself and unsure of Josef's methods.

"So when did you find out?" Josef questions, ringing his hands together.

"Yesterday night. I was coming home from my job and I thought I'd surprise him and go to his apartment." Josef's eye brow rises as she continues, "When I got there, a car I didn't recognize was sitting in the spot I usually park in. Being a slightly paranoid I sniffed around and found that it smelled of perfume and Wade. So I pull out my key and head up to his apartment to find the door wide open and Wade on top of some girl. Before they noticed me I ran down the stairs and left as fast as I could." Josef silences the growl rising in his throat as he notices Emerald running her hand up and down arm.

"Why do you keep doing that?" He questions, getting out of his chair.

"No reason." She mumbles unassumingly ceasing to rub her arms.

"Emerald," Josef says pulling the chair around so he could face her, "did he hit you?"

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><p>I hope you all like it (: This is my first Moonligh FF so please be kind &amp; review. Sorry if Josef is OCC D: My baaad.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Oh look who's updating finally? Sorry for such the late update, but I finally got around to writing the second chapter. Thank you for all the positive reviews everyone! :D It means a lot to me to know people actually like my writing. Soo chapter two.

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Josef. But I do own Emerald!**

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><p>"Did he hit you?" Josef demands, his arms firmly placed on either side of Emerald. She averts her eyes from his, not wishing to explain. His hand softly touches her cheek which causes her to look up slowly. Tears form in her eyes, she can't lie. Especially not to Josef.<p>

"Yes," She covers her face with her hands and begins to sob quietly, "He did." Josef feels the rage burning in his chest, but he pushes it down and reminds himself of the beautiful crying girl in front of him. She leans forward as if hid her face even more so, but Josef embraces her softly.

"Why would someone do this to you? You deserve better, Emerald, and you know it." He mumbles softly as the girl in his arms throws her arms around his neck. She sobs quietly against Josef's shoulder, letting all the tears she had been holding back come out.

After what seems like forever Josef hears Emerald's tears stop and within a couple minutes she's fast asleep in his arms. He can't help but look down at her with a soft smile. He can't imagine the emotional trauma she had gone through since her and Wade had started dating.

"Emmy?" He questions quietly, wondering if she would rouse. No such luck. He might as well take her to his house as he had promised.

He picks her up with ease, one hand around her back and the other at the bend of her knees. After much fumbling around and kicking doors, he finds himself in front of his car. He curses to himself and somehow manages to get the door open. He sets her down in the passenger seat and makes his way to the driver's seat. This hadn't been the day he expected when he woke up this morning.

**x - x - x**

Emerald rolls over, her arms and legs stretching out. She reaches out for what would usually be her extra pillow, but instead felt empty space. Her eyes open slowly and she bounces up as she realizes where she is. Josef's. She had been here a few times before, but this was the first time she had been in the bedroom.

"Jo?" She calls out quietly. She bites her lip and swings her legs over the edge of the bed. She pulls her hair up into a messy bun and stretches again. Her eyes survey the room, which was extremely nice and well furnished. Which was to be expected by someone in Josef's position. She decides to make her way to the kitchen and attempt to make breakfast, though she doubted there would be much food that she would enjoy. She can make due with what she finds.

As she enters the kitchen, she's surprised to find Josef already there.

"Good morning sleeping beauty." He jokes and leans back on the counter, crossing his ankles. She rolls her eyes at him and sits down on a bench next to the counter, her eyes traveling around the room. The counter tops were cream colored and the tan wood gave it a nice touch. Her eyes then look to the cupboards, which surprisingly look quite full.

"No breakfast?" She decides to ignore his prior comment. "How rude." She gives a mock pout and looks over at him with disappointment.

"I give you my hospitality and this is how you repay me?" He raises an eye brow at her.

"I didn't ask for you to take me home, dumbass." She gives a shrug. He grasps his chest dramatically at her insult.

"That _was_ our arrangement," He tells her with a wag of his index finger. Emerald's cheeks light up instantly at the reminder that she had come to him, in the middle of the night, practically in tears. She had also told him something she had never wanted anyone to know. Her eyes drop to the side and Josef fights the urge to reach out to her. So many words found their way to his tongue, but he held them back. It probably wasn't something she wanted to hear right now anyways. Plus, he still had to tell her what he had done last night.

__**- FLASH BACK; the previous night -**

Josef puts the car in idle and pulls the keys out of the ignition. The fire that ignited when he realized what Wade had done to Emerald returned. He promised himself he would make Wade pay for what he had done and he wasn't about to go back on that. His eyes turn to the quiet apartment complex. He lets out a long breath before exiting the car and heading to the apartment that he had visited numerous times before.

Before he knew it he was face to face to with Emerald's _old _apartment door.

"Apartment 372." He mutters to himself before lifting a hand to knock. He hears a clank or two and then the door opens revealing a disgruntled, but hopeful, looking Wade.

"You're Emerald's friend.." He looks him over once and scratches the back of his head. "Not to be rude, but what do you want?" Josef's nose crinkles in annoyance. His hands turn to fists at his side, his knuckles turning white.

"Just came to pick up a few things for Emerald." He tells Wade, his voice surprisingly steady for what he was about to do.

"She can't come and get them herself?" Wade looks genuinely confused and insulted.

"Well—"

"_Well you tell that bitch that she can—_" And that was it for Josef. His fist connects with Wade's nose and he's sent sprawling backwards. He shakes his head and steps over him, going to get what he had come here for.

As he collects Emerald's things he can faintly hear groaning coming from the front of the room. He throws the last thing in the bag and heads back out to the door. He kicks Wade in the side for good measure as he walks out and returns to his car.

**- FLASH BACK END -**

"But since you asked nicely, I'll make you breakfast."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three away! I worked quite hard on this one. Barley over a thousand words though. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make it longer or not since I've been having writer's block on and off.  
>Enjoy and review!:)<p>

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><p>Josef and Emerald chat idly as she watches him cook. She always loves to watch people cook and it is probably because she could never cook very well herself. Josef, of course, probably had many, <em>many<em>, years of practice under his belt. She is almost tempted to ask where he had learned so many techniques, but decides against it. He never seemed to like to talk about his past. When they had first met he had drawled on about how being a vampire was not the most extravagant lifestyle in the world, despite how he lived his life. She finds herself falling back into the memory of when they first met.

**- FLASH BACK –**

_"This is my friend, Emerald." Mick stands halfway in between the two he is now introducing. Mick's hand lies on Josef's shoulder as he grudgingly holds his hand out for the girl to shake. He will never understand what Mick sees in these humans, especially this one. She looks no more then nineteen, maybe even twenty. Her hand wraps around his and she gives it a hardy shake, a smile on her face._

_"Nice to meet you." She finally speaks, her smile unwavering as she releases his hand. "Mick talks about you all the time." She gives Mick a shove at the mention then turns back to him, "You're Josef, right?"_

_"That's me." He replies blandly before turning back around and sliding back into his chair._

_"Anyways," Mick rubs his brow; Josef can be quite unsettling when he wants to. Despite being in a position of power, Josef never really liked to meet new people. "I need you to watch Emerald for a couple days. She got mixed up in some stuff with Beth and she could be in trouble if she's left alone. I have my hands full with watching over Beth right now and I was wondering if—"_

_"I'll do it. Whatever – get out of her and back to Beth." Josef doesn't look up from his papers as his hands work daftly to sift through them. Mick turns to Emerald with a smile and gives her a brief hug._

_"Don't worry; he'll warm up to you eventually." Mick tells her with a pat on the shoulder. Emerald gives him a small nod and says her goodbyes as he walks out the door. She turns around to face Josef, allowing her eyes to wander around the office. The walls are a dark gray color with lighter shades for stripes and the carpet a lighter shade. The furniture is black, along with the desk. There is a few chairs scattered about. One swivel chair, the one Josef is currently sitting in, and one rather comfortable chair seated in front of the desk. She sits criss cross in the chair in front of his desk and leans forward._

_"Is there something you need?" Josef asks with a heavy sight, his looks to meet her eyes. He finds himself unblinking as their eyes lock together. Her eyes are the brightest shade of green he had ever seen and if he had not been so grumpy earlier he would compliment them. He takes a moment to look her over, as she has not said anything. Her hair, which he guesses reaches halfway down her back, is pulled up in a messy bum and strands of hair fall around her face. She's wearing a baggy sweatshirt, some ripped up old jeans, and if he recalls correctly some black converse. Looks like Mick had woken her up in the middle of the night._

_"Nothing." She replies with a shake of her head. "Is that all your going to do? Paperwork?" His eyes roll to the side, unamused with her question._

_"Yes, that's my job." He rubs the bridge of his nose. This is going to be a long night. He had actually planned on sleeping tonight as well but that is out of the question now. "Why does Mick always have to dump these kinds of things on me?" He groans inwardly and Emerald wrinkles her nose out him._

_"Sorry, I'm such an inconvenience to you." She grumbles, throwing her hands in the air, "It's not like I want to be here either!" Mick had yanked her out of at exactly four am and demanded she get dressed. Sleepily, she had complied and pulled herself together. She had barley been awake when he explained exactly why she couldn't stay at home but she understood enough to know that wherever she was going she would be safe._

_"Understandable." Josef nods slightly before returning his eyes to the work on his desk. He hears her let out a huff but besides that she is silent for quite some time. Emerald taps away at her phone, sending angry texts to Mick. Josef's eyes lift slowly, watching as Emerald's brows furrow angrily. "Are you alright over there?" He restrains himself from chuckling as her eyes shoot up at his, then immediately back down._

_"Is there a coffee shop around here or something?"_

_"It's around the corner." He motions with a flick of his wrist._

_"Rude. Aren't I your guest?" She mutters under her breath before sliding out of the chair and out of his office. Josef's thoughts return to his paper work, flipping through the pages carefully but quickly. Paperwork has always been the most troublesome of his job, but this girl is trying his patience. A soft thud alerts him that she had returned. He looks up only slightly to have a steaming mug shoved in his face._

**- FLASH BACK OVER –**

"Coffee?" Josef offers Emerald a cup, holding it out for her. She grasps it in her hands, thanking him silently with a smile.

"Sorry." She apologizes quietly, "I was lost in thought."

"I don't blame you." He speaks, his back turned away from her. He flips what she guesses is pancakes and pours more mix into the pan. Luckily, with his back turned, she can blush in peace. He doesn't know what she was actually thinking about him. "Regular syrup?" He asks as the last of the pancakes finishes.

"Yes." She replies quietly, sipping at the coffee clasped in her hands. She hopes that the pancakes are as good as this coffee. Maybe she would come around more often then. Soon a plate is in front of her and Josef beside her in the seat next to her. It is quiet, and nice, as she eats. He didn't say anything and she is glad he doesn't. He knows that she needs some sort of normalcy in her life, because from what he can guess, there has not been much of that lately.

"Are you alright?" He questions, his voice soft and his arms are stretched in front of him. She munches on the pancakes, almost to avoid the question. Her eyes are glued to food on the plate as she ponders.

"Yeah." She admits after a moment. Through the months, she had been with Wade, through the physical and mental abuse she had gone through so many people had asked her the same question. For once, she actually means it. She's safe. There will not be any more bruises or mental abuse. She feels safe. "Thanks, Jo."

"Don't mention it." He places a hand around her and pulls her towards him. She falls into him effortlessly, wrapping her arms around his stomach.

"What would I do without you?" She mutters into his. He squeezes her softly as a small smile grows on his face.


End file.
